Plantation Bay traffic needs to be calmed

OUR VIEW

Published: Friday, January 25, 2013 at 5:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 6:11 p.m.

Anyone who drives regularly in Volusia or Flagler counties knows that feeling.

You approach a state or U.S. highway from a residential area. The traffic along this highway is fast. Many drivers can be unforgiving of slow pokes. They even drive fast along this road on Sunday afternoon or late at night.

And their speed and hurry are not entirely discouraged by authorities. The speed limit near your intersection with the highway is perhaps 55 mph, or maybe as high as 65 mph. Even if it's a slower top limit, some drivers can still race and tailgate, as too many do along U.S. 1 in Holly Hill and Daytona Beach.

Turning onto this highway is likely the most dangerous thing you'll do today. For some, it becomes fatal.

That's why the Florida Department of Transportation decided to install a traffic signal along U.S. 1 in Flagler County in front of the Plantation Bay residential area. The decision is wise and overdue, and the project could be done by midyear.

The Plantation Bay Community Association had long lobbied for a traffic signal at the U.S. 1 entrance to the home area. They asked in 2009 and 2011.

The turn for many was a problem. The drivers along U.S. 1 have right-of-way, but if you're trying to turn south onto U.S. 1 from Plantation Bay, you can't always see northbound drivers.

A fatal crash last year convinced FDOT that the association was right about adding a traffic light along U.S. 1. A May 3 accident killed Harriet C. Look, 76, and Diane M. Teske, 68, both of Plantation Bay.

Look was leaving Plantation Bay in her car, with Teske as passenger. Look tried to turn south on U.S. 1 from Plantation Bay. A northbound truck crashed into Look's car in a "T-bone" manner and killed both women.

The Florida Highway Patrol said the truck driver, who escaped with his life, was not at fault. This was a sad accident — and such sad, fatal accidents tend to happen more often where speed and a lack of needed traffic calming is involved.

The department has lowered the speed limit to 60 mph, down from 65 mph, on both sides of Plantation Bay. But they haven't changed the 65 mph limit in front of Eagle Rock, which lies north of Plantation Bay along U.S. 1. Officials at FDOT should reconsider that decision, and they should consider slowing traffic further in the vicinity of both residential areas. Speed kills.

According to FDOT's Office of Policy Planning, fatal incidents on Florida's public roads are down considerably from a 2005 peak of 3,533. In 2011, that number dropped to 2,400, although some counties saw a spike in traffic fatalities in 2012.

To continue a downward trend, FDOT needs to listen closely to the concerns of associations such as that of Plantation Bay. It needs to lower the speed limit on state roads near residential developments. And it needs to add signage to warn drivers along such highways to slow down and watch for residential traffic.

Of course, drivers need to help too. Florida drivers should slow down, put down the cellphone and use two hands on the steering wheels. Most important, drivers should apply more defensive strategies, and show more awareness of other drivers who need to turn onto roads safely.

If FDOT, neighborhoods and Florida drivers work together, T-bone crashes and their like will diminish, and lives will be saved.

<p>Anyone who drives regularly in Volusia or Flagler counties knows that feeling. </p><p>You approach a state or U.S. highway from a residential area. The traffic along this highway is fast. Many drivers can be unforgiving of slow pokes. They even drive fast along this road on Sunday afternoon or late at night. </p><p>And their speed and hurry are not entirely discouraged by authorities. The speed limit near your intersection with the highway is perhaps 55 mph, or maybe as high as 65 mph. Even if it's a slower top limit, some drivers can still race and tailgate, as too many do along U.S. 1 in Holly Hill and Daytona Beach. </p><p>Turning onto this highway is likely the most dangerous thing you'll do today. For some, it becomes fatal. </p><p>That's why the Florida Department of Transportation decided to install a traffic signal along U.S. 1 in Flagler County in front of the Plantation Bay residential area. The decision is wise and overdue, and the project could be done by midyear. </p><p>The Plantation Bay Community Association had long lobbied for a traffic signal at the U.S. 1 entrance to the home area. They asked in 2009 and 2011. </p><p>The turn for many was a problem. The drivers along U.S. 1 have right-of-way, but if you're trying to turn south onto U.S. 1 from Plantation Bay, you can't always see northbound drivers. </p><p>A fatal crash last year convinced FDOT that the association was right about adding a traffic light along U.S. 1. A May 3 accident killed Harriet C. Look, 76, and Diane M. Teske, 68, both of Plantation Bay. </p><p>Look was leaving Plantation Bay in her car, with Teske as passenger. Look tried to turn south on U.S. 1 from Plantation Bay. A northbound truck crashed into Look's car in a "T-bone" manner and killed both women. </p><p>The Florida Highway Patrol said the truck driver, who escaped with his life, was not at fault. This was a sad accident &mdash; and such sad, fatal accidents tend to happen more often where speed and a lack of needed traffic calming is involved. </p><p>The department has lowered the speed limit to 60 mph, down from 65 mph, on both sides of Plantation Bay. But they haven't changed the 65 mph limit in front of Eagle Rock, which lies north of Plantation Bay along U.S. 1. Officials at FDOT should reconsider that decision, and they should consider slowing traffic further in the vicinity of both residential areas. Speed kills. </p><p>According to FDOT's Office of Policy Planning, fatal incidents on Florida's public roads are down considerably from a 2005 peak of 3,533. In 2011, that number dropped to 2,400, although some counties saw a spike in traffic fatalities in 2012. </p><p>To continue a downward trend, FDOT needs to listen closely to the concerns of associations such as that of Plantation Bay. It needs to lower the speed limit on state roads near residential developments. And it needs to add signage to warn drivers along such highways to slow down and watch for residential traffic. </p><p>Of course, drivers need to help too. Florida drivers should slow down, put down the cellphone and use two hands on the steering wheels. Most important, drivers should apply more defensive strategies, and show more awareness of other drivers who need to turn onto roads safely. </p><p>If FDOT, neighborhoods and Florida drivers work together, T-bone crashes and their like will diminish, and lives will be saved.</p>